Stashdown 2012 status report

I did it. I’m proud. A bit tired (no, not really). Very much surprised.

I promised to use up at least 7 out of my 10 different winter yarns. It happened, actually, I used up 8, in 16 different projects. Strangely enough my stash refused to shrink significantly, due to some accidental or even planned purchases. But the composition of the said stash got much better, there are more hanks from each type of yarn, and overall, the yarn is younger, less depot-like, and that was the aim of the whole project: to have a more useful stash that can provide real choices.

I am so very proud. Not only that I performed my promise, but also that I enjoyed the process. I chose projects for the yarns instead chosing yarns for projects, but I successfully avoided compromises. Most of the time. I just dont want to talk about that vest-thingy, let’s just pretend it never happened.

Now I’ll have to decide on my 2013 stashbusting goals. Summer yarns need some serious re-organisation too, I’m afraid. I think, this system will work for me, to appoint 10 yarns and try to make something out of them. It leaves enough moving space to buy some yarn when necessary, but it would also help to maintain circulation and avoid letting yarn sit in stash for ages.

It’s like all other big circles of life, yarn comes and goes and all we have to do is ride the waves and keep ballance. How poetic.

Sisterhood of The Stashdown Scarf – Part 3.

Carolyn ended her report on the Travelling Scarf in November when it continued it’s journey from New York to Washington. There waited Meghan, who added a truly wonderful colourwork section and introduced green to the scarf.

Then there was some re-organizing, as the next recipient in line, Suzie, was in another continent. So the scarf left America and come to Europe at last. It was one long journey, but it finally arrived to travelled to Sweden. where Ida added some recycled delicate bouclé mohair yarn and a drop stitch pattern.

And the scarf finally arrived to Brussels, which makes me stop No.7.

I collected some nice lace patterns, but when I saw that piece of art in person, I had to realise that none of them fits the scarf. Or me. If lace doesn’t fit, then let’s keep it simple, I thought. So, I decided to use the simplest knitting pattern of all, a good addendum to all those wonderful different sections and something that represents the depths of my personality. So, garter it is.

I searched my stash for some green yarn that would fit the red in the last section and would give some Christmas-y colour sheme, but, of course, no green yarn was found. I found some white instead, and some blue, but mostly browns and beiges. So the best I was able to do to chose the white and two blues and to make some stripes.

I made only one twist. The scarf already grew very long ad there are 13 ladies waiting to work on it, so I decided to make it wider instead of knitting it longer. I like the result, but I’m also afraid that it dominates the scarf too much.

So, this is it. It’ll spend Christmas in an envelope, somewhere between Belgium and England.

Crafting for Christmas – my hobby is my responsibility

I don’t believe that just because I knit, I have to provide knitted presents for every friend and family member for Christmas. Also, I don’t believe that just because I knit, all friends and family members are obliged to accept a hat and some mitts every year, in the middle of the winter season, when they probably managed to keep themself warm already. I try to keep in mind that nobody is entitled to order handwork from me (unless he/she pays for it) and also, that I should try to keep my hobby to myself, just the way I hope that others will do (I don’t like decoupage or chatney, and I get a headhache from strong smells, so no homemade soaps or such, thank you).

So I just knit what I want and if I want to knit for someone, I do it, and if Christmas is in the corner, it’ll turn into a Christmas present, but I don’t let Christmas rule my knitting plans for months.

Last year I made one present, a baby onsies that was a lot of fun and a good present. It was a big hit, as far as I can tell. Oh, and a felted bag, that was fun to make, but wasn’t expecially nice or appreciated. But that was it, two knitted items.

This year I will be restricted too. I only plan to make an Oak Park scarf – a beautiful and clever pattern. And that’s it.

There will be some birthdays and namedays (yes, there’s such thing) along the way, and I do feel that I want to knit something that is UFO- or robot related, so I might end up with a knitted present for one of those occasions, but only because I want to do it. I would do it even if there were no reason to celebrate.

I think, this attitude has something to do with the project knitter – process knitter spectrum: I’m more of a process knitter, at least, if something is not fun, I won’t knit it. Also, I am extremely lazy. And I like to keep expectations low.

Ladies with sticks: Raveler Meeting 2012, Bxl

Most of the time I didn’t want to go, only I hated the idea of not coming. I decided in the last minute, I only signed up the previous day.

I also had serious doubts. What if everybody talks French that I understand most of the time, but can’t really answer. What if the talk Flemish that I don’t understand at all, unless it’s written down. What if they talk to me too fast? What if they don’t talk to me at all?

Anyway, what should I wear? If I wear handknit, it would look like self-advertising. If I wear store-bought cardigan, it would be cheap. If I don’t wear a cardigan, I’ll get cold.

And what should I knit? I just can’t go there with the scarf I should currently be working on: it’s technically finished, but it thas 68 ends to weave in (yes, I counted), it would be uncool to sit there with a darning needle while everybody knits. And I hate those ends, each one of them, I don’t need audience for my suffering. I can’t bring something complex, partly because I don’t work on anything complex, but also because I can’t knit and talk in foreign languages in the same time. I don’t want to bring anything easy, because I would love to impress everybody. Also, I can’t bring anything I only casted on recently, I don’t remember, why, but I had a reason there too. I don’t have anything to knit, how could that happen?

Plus, I’m terribly bad at socializing. I shouldn’t go.

So I went. I dressed up as usual, wore the cowl I received from Maura on the BoTB swap (to get some support), brought the only project I am working on currently (a Wingspan that look better and better every time I work on it) and off I went.

And of course I had a great time, with some great ladies, discussed yarn and Japanese patterns (public transportation and elections in Amerika) and had a nice time seeing all those different lovely yarns and knitting techniques, had a lait russe, checked the nearby designer shop, so overall had a wonderful time.

And now I want to learn to crochet just because I saw my neighbour making a miracle with a cronice chet hook and a 20mm (!) size knitting needle. And  just try to gather the courage to try what another knitter did: made a beautiful and complex Fair Isle pullover, then cut it (yes, cut, with scissors) and made a cardigan out of it.

There’s just so much to learn.

Sziasztok! (means Hello)

I’m Klara, and I’m the new girl. New in this blog, but also roughly new to knitting – it started less than 2 years ago.

I am Hungarian, but my family moved to Belgium 3 years ago, and it was tough. I lived abroad before, but I didn’t know that having 1.5 children would make such a big difference. It’s just difficult to raise a kid in a country where you have communication problems and it’s very lonely to be at home with a baby when everybody you know has a job or is 1350 km away.

What saved me was a freshly organized mother-baby club, that provided new friendships and endless information. And God, I needed both of them. There was an answer for almost every question and there were lots of questions. Like where to find a creative hobby store around the city. Or a fabric store. And it turned out that there are a lot of creative moms; sewers, quilters, crocheters, all in need of company. So we made a sub-group, to share books, patterns and addresses. I was a passionate sewer that time, did cross-stitch, developed interest in quilting and still had no intention to buy anything but fabric.

But one February day one of the girls arrived to a club meeting with 6 pairs of needles and some leftover yarn and was willing to teach anyone how to knit.  I bought some yarn in a flea market and was ready with my first hats in 2 weeks (imagine 2 squares sewn together. I also attached some weird rabbit ears, so I was very proud. Yes, it’s the one below.) Then in March I registered on Ravelry and paid my first visit at my LYS. I cast-on my first dress just 3 weeks later. And since then I’m in. I’m deep.

The Hat

I will never finish the quilt I was working on and I only sew when there is a specific need for it. Or when I make project bags. I haven’t touched my beautiful (also: enormous) cross-stitch project since. Instead, I knit. A lot. I’m a knitter forever.